'one down and a million to go'? -thin legislation against racism is.
legislation to cover whatever was in your printed It is aimed at the Greenham Common and at the black community.
It wasn't Margaret Thatcher or David inner-city black rebellions. more than a crude attempt to coopt the black community behind police harassment, as the Brixton experience shows. After another uprising.in response to the shooting of Cherry Groce this autumn, the Brixton police replied by launching an anti-mugging campaign. CECILIA Groce Support Campaign explains.
AS consequence Scarman's proposals, Lambeth council unnplemented initiatives lessen tensions in ponce relations table police force: the Police Consultative Group, and community policing.
The PCG met once a fortnignt, as a means wuercoy the public could air their grievances police strategy.
Talk-shop Five years later, it is still running. This - and still remains — a talking-shop.
Community leaders question police, while the police simply reply in their own defence. There is no forum for implementing changes; no system of voting on the There has been no improvement advanceThey represented no PROSPER of the Cherry ment in police-community celim hey Bave good rela tions with the black comBut results show differently.
The shooting of Cherry Groce was met with a com50-strong outside Brixion police station. subsequently joined sizeable had been the Inmunity police unruly black heavy hand of the law. Police poured out of the station, more were aranea in mrom olner arcas armed with riot shields.
Prior to this, Lambeth Police Committee Support Unit had received many reports of armed raids on people's homes. une cast which occurred towards the end of August was of a woman her mid-20s whose home had been raided by a number of armed SPG She was subjected to physical and verbal abuse intimate body search without the presence of a doctor.
The been simply one in a nevered raids. She made the headlines like many others, because she was 'unfortunately' shot and her community were not silent Since the shooting of Cherry Groce there has been no change in police policy concerning the use of firearms. Furthermore. Brixton police have stepped up their 'anti-street crime campaign' on December, it has recently been reported 1o be 'successful. so-called anti-mugging campaign Brixton Dased Clapham North, involves the of SLUL search' tactics (the replacement of the old SUS laws) and also the deployment of 50 uniformed patrolling officers.
Five years of so-called policing has done little to alter the tense in brixton. rOI many, Brixton police practice still means malprac lice • This is an extract of a speech made at the 'Black campaigning, and called by the Roach Family Sup port Campaign, Sunday 12 January. More information on the Cherry Groce campaign, c/o 105 Brixton Road, London SWO (phone: 01-326 1397).
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COMMUNITY POLICING and closer links bet- *Scarman recommendations after the 1981 spate of
Tension Cherry Grace's home Mad